FRIENDS Magazine Fall 2007 - Banner Health

Banner Estrella security officergraduates as Banner Health’sfirst K9 instructorBBannerEstrella Medical Center SecurityOfficer Mark Pecak and Bo, the hospital’sSecurity dog, pose in a Maricopa CountySheriff’s Office helicopter.anner Estrella Security Officer MarkPecak graduated in May from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office K9Academy, becoming Banner Health’s first law enforcement-certifiedK9 instructor.Mark graduated from the program after completing eight weeks oftraining as a certified police dog trainer. The hospital’s security dog, Bo,also attended the academy. Bo demonstrated different techniques of atrained police dog. Bo is a three-year-old Belgian Malinois trained in searchtechniques, crowd control and apprehension.During the academy, Mark assisted in training and certifying K9 handlersfrom the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, the Tolleson PoliceDepartment and the Colorado River Indian Tribe Police. ■Banner Estrellagrowing with thecommunityBanner Health has announcedplans to invest $13.8 million this year tocomplete a new 36-bed floor formedical/surgical patients, new mothersand their babies at Banner Estrella MedicalCenter in west Phoenix.The construction project, whichofficially kicked off on May 8, will increasethe number of patient beds available atthe hospital to 208 beds when work iscompleted in January.The project will involve the design andconstruction of 36 all-private patient rooms,as well as the installation of state-of-the-artmedical equipment, on the top floor of thehospital’s six-story patient tower. The floorwas included in the facility’s initialconstruction plans but was left shelled outfor future expansion.The 24-bed North/South Wing will belicensed as medical/surgical beds, while the12-bed East Wing will be dedicated toWomen and Infant Services. The new post -partum unit will include a well-baby nursery.Banner Estrella Chief Executive OfficerKathy Bollinger said the additional beds areexpected to become available to patients inFebruary, and should allow the hospital toaccommodate growth in all services asneeded over the next two to three years.When completed, the floor will benearly identical to the hospital’s other floors,though minor improvements will likely be madebased on lessons learned since the hospitalopened in January 2005. Banner Estrella’spatient rooms have attracted nationalrecognition for their design and amenities,including a feature article in the October2006 issue of Newsweek magazine. ■28FRIENDS ■ FALL/WINTER 2007